Improvement in machinery for drying and finishing tubular-knit fabrics



t t UNITED N STATES PATENT OEEICE.

`WILLIAM K. GREENE, JR., OF AMSTERDAM, AND WILLIAM M. PAWLING,

HAGAMANS MILLS NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN `MACHINERYl-'OR'DBYING ANDFINISHING TUBULAR-KNIT FABlRlCS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 37,288, dated January 6, 1863.

.To all whom t may concern: Be it known that we, WILLIAM K. GREENE, Jr.,of the village of Amsterdam,in the county of Montgomery and State of New York, and

WILLIAM M. PAWLING, of Hagamans Mills, in the town` of Amsterdam, and county and State aforesaid, have jointly invented certain ,new and useful Improvements in Machinery t for Drying and Finishing Tubular-Knit Faby rios, of which invention the following is a full `and exact description, `reference being had to the annexed drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan, Fig. 2 a side elevation, and Fig. 3 a central vertical longitudinal section,

`of one part, and Fig. 4 a central longitudinal sectional elevation of another part, of an apparatus or machine in which one form of our said invention is t embodied.

lThe same letters refer to like parts in all the gures, and the arrows therein indicate the directions of motion of the machinery and of the current of air generated thereby.

In the ordinary manufacture of the tubularknit fabrics from which shirts, drawers, jack- I ets, and otherarticles of wearingapparel are made the web is knit in pieces many yards long, and the fabric or garment commonly requires to be washed and dried before 4it is fit I for market or wear, which washing may generally be done with least expense by the use of suitable well-known machinery while the `web is in the long piece in which itis taken from the knitting-machine. To dry such long wet or damp pieces of the washed tubular web by suspending them inlong nat loops from horizontal rods in ventilated rooms or I drying-chambers, the tubular fabric will be dried very slowly and unevenly, because only `its outer surface will be directly exposedto the dryingair, and the water or moisture in` the hanging fabric will settle down into the lower folds thereof, and the upper folds will be `pulled down hard against the suspension- -rods, so that too much time and room are required in thusdrying thewashed tubular web 5 and to dry suchA long wet or damp pieces of washed tubulaeknit goods by drawing them dat over or through a chamber of heated air, or by passing a current of air through the. t, `moving tubular web from one flat side thereof to the other, the outer surface or surfaces "of, the tubular web, or that side thereof which thev drying air will first meet will become dried first, or while the opposite side or inner surface will remain quite moist or wet.

In order to dry such long wet or damp pieces of washed ytubulanknt goods more evenly and quickly, and generally with less expense than by the modes above mentioned, we employ together or in combination, flrst, a projecting pipe or hollow support, A, open at its projecting end b, and of such formand size that one or more of the wet pieces of rtubular web (shown in longitudinal section by the lines z z in Figs. 1 and 3) can be easily slipped endwise onto and off from the said projecting hollow support; second, a fanblower, C, (shown broken oft' and detached in Y Fig. 4,) or other suitable device for producing a blast or current of air, connected by a pipe or air-passage, d, with the interior of the hollow web-support A, and, third, at a suitable distance from the perforated or open projecty ing part or end b of the hollow websupport A,

a reel, roller,\or rollers, E E', Fig. 3, or other suitable means, for gradually and evenly drawing off and closing together the tubular web from the said web-support, so that with one of the long wet or damp pieces of tubular web z on the hollow support A, and extended theren from to and engaged with the said draw-off mechanism, and with the latter device and the contrivance for producing a blast of air, both in proper operation` substantially as indicated by the annexed drawings, the tubular web `will then be progressively drawn off from over and around the open end b of the hollow Websupport, and as gradually closed together, by the said draw-off contrivance, while at the same time a current of air will be forced by the blower into the hollow web-support and out of the open projecting end thereof into the inside and outward in all directions through fthe pores of the moving changing portion of weggenerally heat the air, which `heatin g may be effected-by forcing the currentof air through a chamber, X, Fig. 4:, heated by steam-pipes y therein between the blower and hollow websupport, or by other suitable means.

In order to expedite the drying of the tubular web, and also improve the surface thereof, while being progressively dried by a current of air from the inside, as above described, we arrange at the open end b of the hollow websupport A,- or between that part and the devicefor drawing ott' and closin g up the tubular web, an internal web-expander, F, over and around which the elastic tubular web is drawn by the said draw-oft' mechanism, and thereby stretched transversely as well as longitudinally, so as to open the pores of the tubular fabric, and thus give the blast of air a less obstructed passage therethrough and a more rapid drying action thereon, and so as to also draw into the body of the elastic web, while the threads and fibers thereof are moist and slippery, many of the knots and lumps or specks in the yarn, which are generally mostly forced out or left`on the surface of the fabric, by the knitting machinery and washing apparatus in the processes of producing and washin g the tubular web. To accomplish this twofold result, the spreader F may be of any other suitable shape as well as of the fiat form shown in the drawings hereto annexed. 0rdinarily in knitting long pieces of tubular goods it often happens that the yarn varies in size, even in the same piece, so as to make the web of variable width 5 and the operation of washing and squeezing the water from the long piece or pieces of tubular web stretches the fabric more or less unevenly, and if the web is dried by hanging it in long loops from horizontal rods, the web, owing to its elasticity, then dries with its parts stretched unequally lengthwise, according to the dierent lengths or weights of web hanging from the various parts thereof, so as to make the fabric, when dried, of uneven width. But it is important that the tubular web, when washed, dried, and finished, ready for cutting into pieces for garments, should then be flat and of auniforin width throughout; and in order to in some good degree permanently Hatten and equalize the width of such long uneven pieces of tubular-knit fabrics, and also smooth or vrender uniform the surface thereof, we

4make the internal web-expander F of a iiat form, either throughout its whole length or only at and near its rear end, and arrange it in respect'to and with the projecting cylinder A, or its substantial equivalent, for supporting the long piece of tubular web, and tangent, or nearly so,to and with its rear end, g, Fig. 3, in the bite or just in front and clear of the contact-surfaces h of two parallel draft-rollers, E Ef, driven with equal surfacespeed, so that when the long piece of tubular `web z z is placed on the web-support and extended therefrom around the flat expander F to and between the rollers E E in proper rotary motion, substantially as indicated in the annexed drawings, the said rollers E 4l', whose surfaces may be grooved, rough, or smooth, will then draw the tubular web from its said support along around the at expander F, so as to thereby stretch the web flatwise to an even width, and will also, just as fast as the moving web leaves the rear end g ofthe fiat expander, and before the expanded web has space and time to contract materially, seize and rmly compress the web while thus stretched laterally and longitudinally, and thereby in a good degree set or x the web in that expanded condition, and at the same time press into the body of the web,while thus expanded, the projecting knots, lumps, and points thereof, and so improve the surface or finish .and quality of the fabric.

By the use of an apparatus, C, for producing a blast of air, a hollow open support, A, for the tubular web, a flat internal web-expander, F, and compressing draft-rollers E E', all arranged and operated in combination substantially as above specified, and indicated by the annexed drawings, it is evident that the tubular web may be thereby progressively dried by a blast of air and simultaneously stretched atwise from the inside to a uniform width and calendered in the expanded condition, all at one continuous operation.

In order to make the machine wind the web into a roll just after and as fast as the web is progressively stretched flat to a uniform width and calendered in such expanded condition in the manner above described, without materially stretching lengthwise or otherwise injuring, the expanded and calendered 'tubular fabric we arrange against and parallel toone of the compressing draftrollers E E (arranged and operated in combination with a web-support and flat expander, as above described) a loose take-up roller, I, held by or between suitable guides or ways, jj, and by its own weight or other suitable yielding pressure against the draft-roller Ef, and extend the iiat stretched calendered web along the rear surface of the said roller E to and closely around the roller I, substantially as indicated in Fig. 3, so that as the roller E turns it will carry the web to the roller I, and by frictionon the web will Aturn the latter roller, and so wind the web thereon just as fast as the web is stretched and calendered.

In order to progressively and evenly dry the long wet or damp piece or pieces of washed tubular goods, and to stretch the same fiatwise to an even width as well as longitudinally, while being dried by a blast of air from the inside, and to calender the flattened tubular web when thus expanded, and then wind the same into a roll without materially impairing, but rather rendering more permanent, the expanded and compressed condition of the web, all at one continuous mechanical operation, we arrange and operate together upon the long tubular web an apparatus, C, for producin g a blastof air, a hollow open web-holder,

A, a fiat internal web-expander, F, and a pair of compressing draft-rollers, E E', and an incumbent take-up roller, I, all substantially as indicated by the annexed drawings.

In the annexed drawings the spreader F is shown held in place by two outside guides, k k, near the rollers E E', a supporting-roller, l, and ahook, m, on the web-holder A, from which latter the spreader F is to be unhoolred and temporarily removed when the web z z is to be slipped onto the said holder; but the web-spreader may be kept in place by any other suitable means, and need not extend to the web-support A, as is indicated in Fig. 1 by the dotted lines n, which represent a at spreader formed of a bent rod held apart at its rear end byastraightrod, g, in the bite of the rollers E E', which construction of the spreader will in some cases be sufficient 5 but when we keep the web expanded a long ways, as in drying the web by a blast of air, we generally have the spreader formed with rollers o o for the web to bear against, to lessen the longitudinal strain on the web; and to adapt the spreader to webs of different diameters, or to stretch elastic webs of the same diameter to dilferent widths, we make the spreader adjustable laterally-as, for example, byhavin g the spreader in two longitudinal parts, pp', Fig. 1, eachjwith a transverse series of holes, q g, in the forward part thereof and separable from the tube or rod g, which forms its rear end, so that by substituting rods g of different length and putting `the hook m in different holes q q the spreader may be made of different widths, the side guides, lc k, being set in dilferent holes r r, Fig. 1, to correspond with the change in the spreader. In case the tubular web z z should be too loose on the hollow support A, the web may then he held back thereon so as not to be drawn off too fast by the blast of air from the open end b thereofby means of a variable weight, s, Fig. 3, suspended from a loop, t, placed around the web just back of the end b ofthe web-support, and retained there by a cord or rod, u, attached to the loop and to apart, n, of thefixed frame-work W. The draft-rollers E E are turned with equal speed by gear-wheels a: w', fast on the axles thereof, and those rollers and the blower C are turned simultaneously by belts w w', passed around pulleysV V', fast on the fan-shaft Y and roller E, respectively, and around other pulleys, (not shown in the drawings,) driven by any sufiicienti prime motor; but any other suitable means may be used to operate together the draw-oft' mechanism and blowing apparatus.

Now, we do not claim the blower, webholder, spreader,draw rolls, and take-up roller, separately, nor when combined, except as hereinafter specified.

What we claim as new and of our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination or arrangement together for conjoint use of an open hollow support for the tubular web, an apparatus for producing a blast of air, and a device for progressively drawing the tubular web from the said hollow web-holder, substantially as herein described, whereby the tubular web may be progressively dried by a blast of air from the inside, in the manner herein set forth.

2. The combination of a hollow web-holder, an apparatus for producing a blast of air, a device for progressively drawing the tubular web endwise from the said web-holder, and an internal web-expander, substantially as herein described, whereby the tubular web may be progressively stretched transversely and lengthwise, and simultaneously dried by a blast of air from the inside, in th-e manner herein specitied.

3. The combination of a suitable support, A, for the long piece of washed tubular web, a pair of compressing draft-rollers, E E', and an internal web-spreader, F, of Va flattened form, and arranged with its rear end, g, Fig. 3, in the bite of the said draft-rollers, substantially as herein described, whereby the tubular web may be progressively stretched flat widthwise and lengthwise, and compressed or calendered in such expanded condition, as herein set forth.

4. rBhe herein-described arrangement of a flat web-spreader, F, in combination with calendering-rolls E E', a hollow web-support, A, and a blower, C, whereby the tubular web may be progressively dried and simultaneously stretched tlat widthwise and lengthwise from the inside, and calendered while thus expanded, as herein set forth.

5. The arrangement, in combination, of'a support, A, for the long tubular web, a ilat web-spreader,--F, a pair of compressing draftrollers, E E', and an incumbent take-up roller, I, substantially as herein described,I whereby the tubular web may be progressively stretched transversely and longitudinally and calendered and wound into a roll in such expanded condition, as herein set forth.

6. The arrangement, in combination, of a device, C, for producing a blast of air, a hollow webholder, A, a `flattened web-spreader, F, draft-rolls E E', and an incumbent takeup roller, I, substantially as herein described, whereby the tubular web can be simultaneously dried and stretched laterally from the inside and compressed and wound into a roll in such expanded condition, as herein specied.

7. The arrangement of friction-wheels o 0 on the web-expander F, combined with a websupport, A, and draw-oft' mechanism E E', substantially as and for the purpose herein described.

WILLIAM K. GREENE, JR. wM. M. rAwLrNe.

Witnesses: p SAMUEL D. GREENE, C. P. BAR'rLET'r. 

